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Note to strikers: Study the pictures above. For a long time.
For the rest of you, let's play a game of "Rearrange The Sentence". Here are your key words, see if you can move them round until you come up with something that makes sense;
The - In - Net - Ball - Put - The
We're quickly becoming our own worst enemies because it's all very well and good dominating games - as we have done this season against the likes of Villa, Birmingham and today - but we can't keep on wasting the opportunities we're getting. We've got to start smacking the ball as hard as possible from two yards out and if it takes a detour off the keeper's face then so much the better.
Aah yes, goalkeepers. Shay "Bastard" Given is recognised as one of the best in the Premiership but why did he have to save an awe-inspiring man of the match display for today? He got the ball rolling early on with his save from Silva's back heel but his two saves in the space of twenty seconds from Taylor were as needlessly good as they were blood-boilingly irritating.
Going forward at the moment reminds me a bit of us in 2000/01. All of the players looked a little bit unwilling to shoot and ended up pinging the ball around on the edge of the area for too long, eventually losing out - or when the ball was played it was the wrong one, or the person receiving it wasn't good enough (stand up Lee Mills). Now we just seem to have the same problem. Sometimes it's good to look for someone in more space but sometimes people just have to be greedy and take on the strike. Questions will be asked as to why we look so nervy in front of goal - lack of self-confidence? Pressure from the fans? Who knows - just get them on the training pitch with Joe Jordan for a couple of weeks.
Other than the embarrassing finishing and Bastard between the sticks I don't think anyone can have any complaints about how we played today. Ashdown had nothing to do and looked after his area well (shame about his abysmal distribution though). The defence looked pretty solid and restricted Newcastle to the odd long shot, and we can be pleased to have kept our first clean sheet at Fratton in ages. The midfield looks a lot better with Vukic in it, although if it turns out he did dive towards the end then he should be dragged into the street and flogged (personally I thought there was contact although he clearly made the most of it).
Perhaps our second biggest problem though other than our complete inability to score was the choice of passing from time to time; trying to do a long Quashie-esque crossfield pass isn't always the answer and often some of the short and snappy quick passing wasn't quite reaching the intended target. But in truth, both sides were guilty of easily giving up possession (although that doesn't make it any less frustrating).
I really don't know where we go from here. Another good performance but once again only ourselves to blame for not coming home with three points, and the chances we're wasting are criminal. As I've said many a time it's when we stop creating the chances in the first place it's time to worry, but even so I think the odd twinge of concern is permitted about the amount of times we seem to get things wrong in the final third.
Still! On another day it would've been Joe Average in goal and we would've won by two or three. And who knows, maybe Collins is the new Péle and will repeat his multiple goal scoring exploits from South Africa. Come to think of it, even one would be nice.
PS: Songo'o trying to "do a Merson" with the outside of his boot in front of the Fratton End is one of the funniest things I've seen on a football pitch since Ashdown's OG at Gillingham.